I wnder how the year 2013 is like.

The year 2013 has just started.

 One of the big events in my family this 2013 is our son's high school

entrance exam which he will be taking by the end of January.
I wish he could pass it with flying colours

 

 

 Here is a picture of  Sansevieria or the Mother-in-law's Tongue  ,houseplant.

 I've grown it several years now.
This plant needs low maintenance. I seldom water it and place fertilizer

throughout the year and it can already delight our eyes.

 

 

 

It  snowed heavily a few days ago . Everything that were covered with

snow looked beautiful.  White world is fantastic.

 

 

 

I went to see the renovated red-brick building, Tokyo station which was opened

in last October with my daughter during New Year's Holidays.
There was a crowd of people in around the station.　

 The domes on both sides of the building was amazingly lovely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After   hanging around two stylish big shopping centers near Tokyo Station, we took a walk around the imperial palace and went to another shopping center with my daughter.

 

 

This soft ice cream was taste-GOOD.

When we were in shopping center,  luckyly meeted "Sisimai( Lion dance)" which was performed around the new Year by one or two lions accompanied by bamboo flutes and drums. It was performed as a prayer for household safety and health and a good harvest.

 

 I and my family visited my parents to greet them a happy new year during New Year's Holidays.
 I feel very happy that I and my family got another healthy year again. But there were a lot of demands on my purse at this time. Because, in Japan, adults are supposed to give money to their children or relative's children as  New Year's Gift .

 

  We went to a big Temple nearby to pray our happiness and health.

 

 

 

My daughter  bought her first false eyelashes.   She  tried them on

but we were not able to put them properly. We were not used to putting it on.

 

My father who started doing magic about 20 years ago, taught me

some ways how to do magic   such as shifting a knot of handkerchief

from a red handkerchief to a yellow  one , showing a handkerchief on my

 hand instantl ,restoring torn paper by hands to its original size , restoring a bill

with a hole to its original condition and separating a red ring tied together with

a white rope.   It was quite difficult to  do such magics well. I have to

 practice them again and again to master.

 

 

 

I went to Haiji village(　ハイジの村）　with my family. It was freezing,

but we were impresed by the fantastic ilumination.

 

 

I'm hoping that a lot of people around the world will be happy this year.

a cool autumn wind

My garden has quite become autumnal.

 "Japanese toad lilies "are in full bloom quitely.

These flowers are a little bit quite and sober ,but they are perennial

plant and don't give trouble, so these plants have been in

 my garden since we built our house here10 or so years ago.

 

with  the pomegranates which my daughter got from her school.

 

These pure white crysanthemums are conspicuous now in my southern garden.

 

 This gorgeous flower called "Ginger" stands out a lot,doesn't it?

 This is one of my favorite flowers in my garden.

 This plant is growing bigger   year by year.

 

 

 These beautiful "Colchicum " is also one of my favorit flowers.

I took this picture in October.

I harvested some Chinese chives, and cooked " miso soup" which I

often I cook for breakfast, with them. A newly made miso soup

 is really delicious.

Our new pet, Loach

It's name is Pole.

Pole likes to keep still.

 

 Our Hermit crab is on the run.

 My children's birthday was last month. I felt very happy

 to see them eating my home made cake with gusto. 

As for my daughter, Unluckily, she broke her spine  during PE lesson last month ,

and she is wearing a corset now, can't take exercise for a few months.

But she go to school brightly every day. I do hope she gets better soon.

 

Have a nice weekend!  Take care!

Green Star!

Recently, it is getting much cooler in the morning

 

and evening. YEAH!!  The better season for

 

gardening is coming here. The lovely flowers called

 

a “Blue Beard” are blooming in my garden..

 

 

Here is a "Gumbo” flower

It is very cute as a vegetables’ flower.

A section of gumbo is like a shape of a star,which is

really nice. But my gumbos sometimes are tough and

have a lot of string.

I wonder if  the less moisture of the soil causes it.

 

 

 

This dish is simmered with Kiriboshi daikon ( simmered

dried strips of radishes),which is a typical side dish of

Japanese home cooking. I garnished it with green stars.

 

 

By the way, There were  two big activities held in the

 

junior high school where my children went  last weekend 

 

for two days.  On the  first day, We had seen  Recitals of

 

a dance, short drama and singing in chorus inside a gym.

My son first sung with other two students “Sorannbushi /

 

ソーラン節　(traditional work song of fishery worker)” and

 

performed it with 20 or so students vigorously. The bouncy

 

song makes us cheerful. As f for my daughter, She played

 

the role of a turtle in dram called “Urashima Taro(浦島太郎)”

She played it confidently. I was proud of them.

 

So, my son belongs to his school’s cheering group for

three years. The last performance of the day's program 

 the rooters sung a fight songs .

If  you like, please enjoy their rooters’ song on this video.

 

 

 

  

By the way, this day was the day when they needed to take

a lunch box to school. They slasked me to cook cute and

 colorful lunches.

So, I trid to wrap some riceballs with tin foil with cute animals.
 

This was very popular with my son and daughter..

On second day, Athletic festival was held in school ground.

Our parents enjoyed watching my children and their

classmates do a ‘centipede' race (between teams of

runners with their legs linked together) , relay betweens

their classes , a cavalry battle.  I fully felt a great growth

of my kids through  these two days.  Fooray for bloom of youth!!!

 

If you like, please watch this video of the relay.
But I’m so sorry that the Video’s picture is not good.

My daughte and I went to Takeshita St. in Harajyuku, Tokyo ,

 

 where is famous shopping district which sale such a cute and

 

style clothes and accessories. It was really crowded. 

 

My daughter bought some accessories of her favorite idol group there.

 

On our way  home , after earing  goodtaste dinner with my parents and my children

in my hometown, fortunately we were able to watch fabulous

fireworks  through the space between some buildings.  Beautiful!!

What a lucky day it was!!   Fireworks video here

      

       Have a  wonderful weekend!!!!

Good Luck!

During summer , my working hours is a bit longer than other seasons, so I am rather tired.

At this time ,  especially in August we have less flowers than other seasons

 in my garden. so that these showy flowers, This Rose of Sahron

(Hinomarumukuge) are very valuables. It is easy to grow and can tolerate 

intense heat and cold winter. All I have to do is prun well for shape in winter.

These orange fruit look like very cute, right?  I often used to play with the

orange fruit of Ground-Cherry when I was a schoolchild.

This picture of Chinese lantern plant  was taken on

June 28. The fruit were still green then.

I just tried to adorn our  entrance hall with the lovely bells .

 These typical summer fruit are present from my husband's acquaintance.

These were  very fresh and delishous.

Reacently I visited to Tokyo SkyTree, the world's highest broad casting

towerin the news, with my daughter and my parents again. This time we

climbed up two observation decks

This is the lower observation deck, which is 350 meters high.

 

This upper observatory  is 450 meaters high. Unluckily, the field of vision is

not so good because of  cloudy skies. We were not able to enjoy a panoramic

view of  the whole Kanto area, but had a great time .

We walked around big shopping mall called Tokyo Solamachi and  took a

short rest while eating  tasty crepes

I bought Soda Pop for my son as souvenir of SkyTree.

This is my son's homebuild computer. He overdoes a computer every day,

so that I am always anxious about that.

 My son's soccer team won the championship in the last prefectural tournament.

So that they can go on next round, Kanto tournament. He and his teammates

have been getting  along well since they were schoolchildren. FYI,

 the boy lying in the front row and the leftmost in the picture is my son.

I do hope they will win victory in junior high school national soccer tournament.